Your favourite Santana albums 69-79?

I really like it. The SACD from Dutton Vocation with the quad mix is great.

 

Wow, it's hard to pick just five albums. My choice was the obvious one: the first four and Lotus (which is an album that fascinates me) although I could add Borboletta and Moonflower.
Carlos's evolution towards jazz-fusion is fascinating. Actually, in the years this thread covers "la crème de la crème" of his career

 

First 3 , then Moonflower. Then it's a toss up for me on the 5th. Could go Amigos, or Borboletta, or Caravanserai.

 

First three for me. Also really love the Sacred Fire live album from the '90s.

 

I like the fusion-y mid-70s period starting from Welcome.

Also, I'm not trying to be an idiot edgelord hipster, but Santana's guitar playing is often the least interesting thing to me about Santana the band, he has all these great musicians backing him and I don't think he matches them.

But he's had a 50 year career which very few can match, so there you have it.

 

Bingo.

 

Also been on a big Santana kick the last couple of months . My favourites are

Caravanserai
Borboletta
Abraxas
Santana
Welcome

Especially love playing Caravanserai & Borboletta back to back . The sound affect at the start
of Borboletta sounds like the Aboriginal bush telephone made famous in Crocodile Dundee .

 

Wanted to also add that Santana has some of the greatest record covers ever released .

 

I have nine of the albums on the list. I chose Santana, Abraxas, Santana III, Lotus and Moonflower over Caravanserai and Welcome

 

Borboletta is my favourite - a perfect record if ever there was one , Lotus is a great live album , Caravanserai is the one I like the least from the first albums, the focus is a little too much on Carlos' guitar and not so much on the band , still a good album but the one I play the least , from the last 6 I think Moonflower is the best , only care for a few songs from the others

 

I'm a long time fan. Abraxas used to be my favorite but I would have to say it's now number 2 behind the Self Titled first album. That's probably due to over exposure of Black Magic Woman. After those 2 I would go with III, Caravanserai and Welcome. I didn't see Zebop on the list. Was that an omission in error. That and Festival are also very good. O, and Moonflower is good as well.

 

Yep!

 

I like everything through Borboletta (with III the best of Santana). After that, hit or miss. Moonflower got lots of play back in the day.

 

I decided to keep it up to the end of the 70s. Zebop is from 1981.

 

First place goes to Santana ( 1969 ) for me.
Watched and interview with Carlos the other day, what a nice down to earth fellow.

 

The first three at max for me. However, I will give Lotus another try tonight. But remember, just because of you.

 

This poll is unfair. I would have checked at least two Malo albums if they were on here! I was really into Malo!

 

Ok I didn't remember when it was released. Thanks for the clarification.

 

This is off topic but I was once sitting in a hotel lobby in Atlanta waiting for a taxi to take me to the airport when in walks Carlos with the most beautiful woman I had ever seen in my life.

 

I took a long break not listening to any of my Santana albums for a long while, but in the last few months I pulled out my Japanese mini sleeve box set that I own and have really been enjoying the music once again. I don't care for any of the releases after "Inner Secrets", which unfortunately was not included in the box, just releases up to "Moonflower".

Santana 3, Caravanserai, Welcome, Inner Secrets (just for "Dealer/Spanish Rose" alone) and Abraxas. Since Lotus is a live recording I'll call that one out separate. I will easily take it over "Moonflower" simply because of how amazing his guitar work is on it. Never heard him play at that level again.

 

Santana III is my favorite lp of all time-simply furious and impassioned music making. Then I go:

Santana
Abraxas
Borboletta
Moonflower

HM’s go to Caravanserai and Amigos.

 

In this order:

01º - Caravanserai
02º - Moonflower
03º - Borboletta
04º - Oneness
05º - Abraxas

 

Went with the first two:
Santana (1969)
Abraxas (1970)

 

No exact order but chronologically:

Santana
Abraxas
Santana III
Caravanserai
Moonflower

 

I always love hearing about another vintage Lux-urious show!